Queens Park Rangers v Stoke

Queens Park Rangers and Stoke meet on Sunday, May 6, at 13:30 GMT. Game takes place at Loftus Road.

Teams News

Queens Park Rangers

QPR is hanging by a thread with relegation looming close in the horizon. Any point that Bolton gains in the midweek will send the Hoops to 18th place with only two games left in the season. Although not entirely considered as a consolation, QPR will play Stoke at home before finding themselves on the road against a steamrolling Manchester City side.

QPR’s loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last time out was perhaps the biggest blow to their chances for survival. Conceding six goals on the road is certainly not new to Mark Hughes’ men; they also conceded six against Fulham at Craven Cottage earlier in the season. QPR are better at home however, and this should play to their favour against Stoke this weekend. Having stopped the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham in front of their homecrowd, the Hoops certainly have what it takes to impress against a struggling Stoke.

Stoke

If not for their horrible away record, Stoke could very well be within the top 10 at this point in the season. But the fact that Stoke cannot be relegated now makes a top 10 finish some sort of a luxury, something that Tony Pulis would have wanted but wouldn’t necessarily cry on if it didn’t happen.

Stoke will have to play Everton as of press time but their last game against Arsenal lends a few valuable insights en route to their game against QPR. Peter Crouch who scored the first goal of the game breaks his goal-shy streak of two games. He has 10 goals this season, and will look to add on that for the last three games remaining in their fixture list.

Stoke defense however, should take most credit for their draw against Arsenal. They did hand the Gunners enough chances to score but the resiliency at the back suffocated Robin van Persie, stopping attacking plays short as far from where they begin at midfield. If not for a notable display, Stoke would have easily bit the dust to wave after wave of Arsenal offensive.

Queens Park Rangers v Stoke Betting Preview

The Loftus Road crowd will definitely go all out this Sunday to help their team avoid relegation. Their chances are looking good by the way, as QPR has not lost a single game in their last four at home. In the last two meetings between these sides, QPR prevailed as winners too so the odds are surely on the home side. Finally, Stoke has not won a game on the road since January; talk about persisting travel woes.

Betting Tip

Verdict: QPR with a slim win, 1-0.

Tip: QPR to win 1-0 is at 7/1, but don’t pass up the 1-1 draw with a 11/2 odds. QPR after all has conceded goals in 78% of their home matches this season so while the homeside looks likely to get a positive result from this game, never discount a draw from taking place.

All odds are from Bet365.com (£200 FREE BET!).